Chapter 693: Judgment Under the Red Moon

General Xiaoyeshan is dead.

As Xu Jing swung his sword, every torture device on him clattered to the ground.

Lu Xin could keenly sense that the man’s life had finally ended.

Yet in his demise, there was no sorrow or despair—instead, it felt as if a tightly drawn bowstring suddenly slackened.

At the same time, Lu Xin didn’t feel his mental power dissipate; rather, he sensed an uncanny disappearance.

It was as if it had simply vanished.

Normally, when a person dies, their mental power dissipates into the world since its vessel is lost.

Unless altered by mental mutation, an ordinary person—with roughly ten levels of mental power—could not sustain it.

But General Xiaoyeshan’s mental power hadn’t dissipated; it had merely vanished.

There was no doubt—it was Xu Jing’s doing.

Lu Xin even harbored a strange thought: “Could it be that Xu Jing intends to preserve his spirit and consciousness to continue the torment?”

……

……

Lu Xin stood silently at the back, watching Xu Jing’s every move—especially the sword in his hand.

Since the Red Moon incident, few have been seen wielding a sword.

Even in the Wasteland, when people needed a close-combat weapon besides firearms, they usually opted for a dagger or a short blade.

At worst, a sturdy piece of wood carved into a spear could serve for self-defense.

Xu Jing’s sword, however, looked more like an art piece than a weapon—the intricate patterns were dizzyingly exquisite.

Now those designs were smeared with blood, yet Xu Jing made no effort to clean them.

Earlier, he had drawn the sword from a hidden pocket in his suit, as if his suit contained a secret bag.

Now, he nonchalantly returned the bloodstained sword to his suit pocket and patted it down.

Only then did he seem to relax just a little.

Afterward, he retrieved a white cloth from his briefcase and carefully collected the knives and torture devices that had fallen onto General Xiaoyeshan’s bed.

He wiped each tool meticulously, placing it back into the briefcase one by one.

With practiced precision, it wasn’t long before every knife and torture device was securely stowed away.

They were arranged one after the other in the case, exuding a ghostly gleam and an unexpectedly refined allure.

After dealing with the torture devices, he performed one final act.

He pulled a thick, finely textured sheet of paper from a file; Lu Xin could tell it was exceptionally well-made.

In graceful, flowing script, the paper listed General Xiaoyeshan’s crimes line by line.

The paper’s background featured the faint outline of scales, and at the bottom there was a designated area for the enforcer’s signature.

Xu Jing took out a steel pen and carefully inscribed his name: Xu Jing.

He gently placed the paper over General Xiaoyeshan’s corpse, which was soon stained with blood, revealing broad, dark spills.

……

……

“Wait a moment.”

Xu Jing appeared to be performing a ritualistic act, each step executed with deliberate care and unwavering focus.

Only after completing it all did he turn and smile at Lu Xin.

Then he retrieved a set of clean clothes from the other side of his briefcase and entered General Xiaoyeshan’s bathroom; soon, the sound of rushing water filled the air, and in about ten minutes he emerged.

The bloodstains on his body had vanished, replaced by a fresh outfit.

Smiling cheerfully at Lu Xin, he said, “The job’s done. Shall we go?”

Lu Xin silently trailed behind Xu Jing, lost in thought.

He had just witnessed Xu Jing transform a man into a grim piece of postmodern art, with a bloodstained face and clothes, and now he saw him—clean and composed—walking down the street with his briefcase.

Xu Jing’s demeanor was refreshingly candid; he even exchanged nods and smiles with passing pedestrians.

It evoked a surreal sense of duality.

Xu Jing was an ability user, though Lu Xin remained uncertain about the nature and extent of his power.

But it was obvious: he was striding through the Xiaoyeshan Settlement—and had just killed their general.

Or rather, he had passed judgment on their general…

After all, the word ‘killed’ hardly conveyed the brutal intensity of what had just transpired.

Yet no one in the settlement seemed to notice.

Lu Xin felt that Xu Jing’s most terrifying attribute was not his bizarre, public executions amidst a crowd,

but his unflappable calm—a detachment that absorbed no external influence.

To him, killing was simply another part of the job.

……

……

“This is what we do.”

Only after leaving the settlement and boarding a nearby Jeep did Xu Jing let out a quiet sigh.

Starting the engine, he murmured to Lu Xin, “Under this Red Moon, countless sins lurk unseen. We cannot stand by while these burdened souls wander free, nor can we ignore the despair in a dying man’s eyes.”

“That’s why we roam under the Red Moon—delivering judgment on these sinners.”

“……”

He paused, then turned to Lu Xin and said, “You’ve been so quiet—I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

Lu Xin sat in silence for a long moment before softly admitting, “I just don’t know what to say.”

His gaze grew somber yet composed as he slowly added, “I’ve seen things I couldn’t bear, and I’ve killed too. If what you describe is something I’ve encountered, I might not be able to stand aside…”

“But…”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Xu Jing’s lips curl into a smile. Lu Xin continued, “Your method of sneaking in alone to carry out executions—it doesn’t sit well with me.”

“I’ve always believed that only a judge should decide a person’s fate.”

“Besides, your reckless use of force and power makes me uneasy…”

“……”

He spoke all of this in one breath before pausing, letting out a soft sigh and slowly shaking his head.

Xu Jing drove the Jeep in long, pensive silence.

It was as if he were intently watching the road ahead, or deeply contemplating Lu Xin’s words.

After a while, he softly said, “Number Nine, you know as well as I do that if I hadn’t judged, that man draped in human skin—the demon—would still be reigning like a tyrant in this settlement…”

“His settlement lies within Qinggang’s radius, yet no one there can rein him in.”

“Perhaps because no one ever thought to intervene.”

“……”

Though Lu Xin hesitated, he could only nod slightly—this was the inevitable truth.

“As for your talk about using power and force…”

Xu Jing fell silent for a moment before a faint smile appeared as he said, “Power is meant to be used.”

“I know your rules forbid the casual use of power. When things go awry, even firing a gun is seen as the better option.”

“But those rules exist because you fear that power might spiral out of control.”

“You worry that overusing power could lead ability users to lose all sense of moderation and go to extremes.”

“But we won’t.”

“……”

He turned to glance at Lu Xin and smiled, “We have our own convictions and principles.”

“Because we know exactly what we’re doing, we never fear losing control.”

“……”

Lu Xin took a deep breath, as if about to speak, but seeing Xu Jing’s confident smile, he fell silent instead.

Yes, Xu Jing was a man of conviction.

He had been that way since childhood.

Because there were so many injustices he couldn’t tolerate, he loved to tattle to the Director, the Teacher, and even those rarely-smiling men in white coats.

He tirelessly reported every misdeed, insisting that things be held accountable.

Even though he was often left battered as a result, he never changed his ways.

Is this still the case with him now?

……

……

“Squeak……”

The Jeep pulled up at an intersection and Xu Jing halted the vehicle.

Lu Xin looked at him with a trace of curiosity.

“I’m leaving, Number Nine.”

Xu Jing unbuckled his seatbelt, smiled, and said, “There’s still so much business to be done in this world.”

Lu Xin frowned slightly and asked, “Where are you headed now?”

“Many places.”

Xu Jing laughed, “Under the Red Moon, anyone who has suffered injustice can file a claim with the Midnight Tribunal.”

“And we’ll be there.”

“Where there’s injustice, where there’s sin, the enforcers of the Midnight Tribunal will appear…”

“……”

“You…”

Lu Xin hesitated.

He had many questions he hadn’t yet asked Xu Jing, so many things left unsaid.

Topics like the Midnight Tribunal, enforcers like himself, or even the Old Director…

But finally, he asked, “With all the injustice in the world, can you really manage it all?”

“Yes, we can…”

Xu Jing had already picked up his briefcase, opened the car door, and stepped out.

By then, the night had deepened; the dark clouds overhead had mostly dispersed, and the Red Moon shone even brighter than before.

After Xu Jing exited the car, several afterimages appeared around him. Then they quietly split apart—Xu Jing became three, each smiling at Lu Xin, while two walked off in opposite directions at the intersection.

Only one Xu Jing remained, standing by the car, looking at Lu Xin with a confident smile:

“Don’t worry, Number Nine. We’ll meet again…”

He hoisted his briefcase, removed his suit jacket, draped it casually over his arm, and quietly smiled at Lu Xin:

“Perhaps it won’t be long until our paths cross again—I know you’re here.”

Lu Xin had more to say, but in the end, he only let out a soft sigh and said, “Take care.”

“The question you asked me today—I might have an answer next time we meet.”

“……”

Xu Jing paused, seemingly taken aback by Lu Xin’s words.

Then, with a hearty laugh, he waved at Lu Xin and said, “You’ve changed, Number Nine. You’ve become Lu Xin.”

“But some things will never change.”

“……”

After saying this, he turned and walked gently toward the horizon in the direction of the Red Moon.

Soon, his silhouette melted into the misty night.

Only Lu Xin remained, sitting quietly in the Jeep. After a long while, he heard gunfire coming from the direction of the Xiaoyeshan Settlement.

He sighed softly.